Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-05-13
.rhe Coercion EIiu.

rhe Coercion bill.
The world is faced with one OF the
most extraordinary facts in history.
We recollect with horror the edict OF
Pharaoh. Herod's awful rescript
carries with it to this day q terror
in Christendom. The sacrifice oi the
early martyrs in the Roman arena,
and the striking dramatic incident OF
Telemachus when he threw himself
bef,re the gladiators in the Colos-
scum, and with the raised cross said
in front OF the matrons and Emperor
of Rome, "This shall not proceed!"
The burnings and the noyades that
have since been done for opinions
sake, it is not necessary to repeat.
But we shall come down to that
bright and most glorious period in the
worlds history when a new nation
proclaimed that man was born free
and possessed certain inallenable
rights. 1t was a period in which Jean
JACQUES Rosseau's doctrine had ITS
best fruition; when Versailles sent
forth her best loved to battle for an
idea secuted by those who sent them
when terrible ordeal was agitating
itself in the womb Of Europe; when
idiocy sat upon throne and man
hood stood serene and armed on
new contineni-it was at that time
when the great fiat went forth that
manhood should not be subjected TO
the solemn DEGREES of autocratic
power, that Great Britain, in the per-
son of her greatest representative
said Liberty shall not be crushed or
overborne by all the powers OF EARTH"
SO said, before him, the great Riche-
lieu, when he Numbered to Louis
XIII: "For justice, all place a tenn
pie; all seasons summer" Yet
now, at this near close OF the nine
teenth century, comes up party, ap-
parelled as a government, and says
that there is one people-one poor
tribe OF the human family-who are
outside OF all law, of all sympathy -
Ishmaelities among the families OF
the earth, against whom all hands
may be raised, and for whom every
good word is treason. Is it possible
that lreland-poor, despised, neg
lected by the centuries-has raised
herself to that magnificent pedestal
where she becomes the centre of
sympathy--the child OF human aspira-
tions in her own behoof OF the world ?
Yet so it seems. A factional power
has in possession the reins Of British
government. In reply to the de-
mands of the Irish for Home Rule
(self-governmentl they reply with a
coercion bill which says: The jury
system shall be abolished, two Mag
istrates shall take its place and have
maximum power; the liberty Of the
press shall not be curtailed, but sum-
mary conviction shall prevent it from
being sharer in common crimes !;
change of venue shall be at the option
oi the law officer OF the crown; if
Ireland is not safe for conviction,
then England shall be the place OF
trial. the defendants, ii unable to
bring their witnesses, may have
Irish counsel, who shall be heard in
English courts the Lord Lieutenant
of Ireland shall have discretionary
power for saying who is a criminal
and who shall be prosecuted. This
is about an epitome OF the act which
Great Britain proposes TO cure the
ills of Ireland. The government ad-
mits that the powers are extraordi-
nary, but insists they are necessary
because OF the great prevalence OF
agrarian crimes in Ireland. Mr..
Gladstone and Mr.. Parnell answered
this allegation. They said that for
the years 1885 and 1886 the "agrarian
crimes" OF Ireland, reported by the
constabulary, were divided into two
heads Threatening letters" and
"offenses other than threatening let
ters." In 1885 there were 432 threat
ening letters reported, while in 1886
the number had risen to SOY. But an |
increase OF 65 threatening letters, the
authors OF which usually belong to |
three classes, schoolboys, weak
minded persons, and agents of the |
Government, is surely not good rea-
son for abolishing civilized govern
ment in Ireland. Of offenses "other
than threatening letters" there were
reported 5l2 in 1885, and 5ls
ia lsS6r-an increase Of six in
: popaletion q Ave millions
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